The White House is increasing pressure on Zelensky to push him to resign. Trump’s associates have been in contact with the political rivals of the Ukrainian president.
Four members of Donald Trump’s team have held secret discussions with political opponents of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, writes POLITICO, citing three Ukrainian lawmakers and a Republican expert in foreign policy.
Trump's team has engaged in discussions with Yulia Tymoshenko (photo), former Prime Minister of Ukraine and leader of the opposition party Batkivshchyna (Fatherland), as well as with high-ranking members of the European Solidarity party of former President Petro Poroshenko.
The discussions focused on the possibility of quickly organizing presidential elections in Ukraine. These are postponed, according to the country's constitution, as the war-torn country is still under martial law.
Russia eagerly awaits to get rid of Zelensky, just like Trump
The official position of the American administration is that Trump does not interfere in Ukraine's internal politics. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick denied this week that the US President is "interfering in Ukrainian politics," adding that all Trump wants is a peace partner. However, Trump's behavior and that of his administration officials suggest otherwise, notes the cited publication. Trump called Zelensky a "dictator" and criticized him for not holding elections.
Opponents of holding elections argue that they could be chaotic and could throw the country into the hands of Russia. Many potential voters are on the front lines or live abroad as refugees.
The key to all plans being discussed through secondary diplomatic channels is the organization of presidential elections after a temporary ceasefire is agreed upon, but before serious large-scale peace negotiations begin.
The idea of early presidential elections is also supported by Russia, which has been wanting to get rid of Zelensky for several years.
Two more flexible partners than Zelensky
Tymoshenko and Poroshenko have publicly opposed holding elections under martial law, but they position themselves as more flexible partners for the US than Zelensky. Their representatives have not confirmed the discussions with Washington, as stated by the cited publication.
Trump's associates are confident that Zelensky would lose the elections due to war fatigue and public frustration over rampant corruption. His popularity rating has consistently dropped in recent years, but it increased following the tough confrontation last week at the White House, when the Ukrainian leader was shown the door after being scolded by President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance.
According to a survey conducted between February 25 and 27 by the British firm Survation, Zelensky leads in polls with 44%. He is followed by former Chief of Staff and Ambassador to the UK Valerii Zaluzhnyi, who has not publicly confirmed his presidential ambitions, with 21%. Poroshenko ranked third with 10%, while Tymoshenko only got 6%, having little chance of defeating Zelensky in potential elections.
Zelensky has rejected the idea of resigning and joked with reporters in London over the weekend, saying that if elections were held this year, he would probably win. "You should stop me from running in the elections," he said, then suggesting, as he has done before, that he would only resign if Ukraine were granted NATO membership, as that would mean his mission had been accomplished.